The Beginner's Class
by Rally Collins
Summary: Gundam Wing/Heralds of Valdemar: /short sidestory to On a Pale Horse/ Duo's settling in to his new home, facing challenges and the weather. /part 3 of a prompt challenge/


Author: Rally  
Date: October 8, 2009

Disclaimer: Bandai, Sotsu Agency and Sunrise own Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. Mercedes Lackey and DAW Books own "The Heralds of Valdemar" series. I own neither/nor. This is just for your entertainment and my need to brush up on my writing skills.

A/N: This is the third in the "20 Word Mix" prompt challenge from Lelandra of my Gaia Online Guild. The prompt word is "scribble." Somehow, it ended up being a sort of side story to one of my other fics "On a Pale Horse" and it will most likely end up in one of it's upcoming chapters. Comments and critiques are always welcome.

**The Beginner's Class**

The scratching of a pen across the sheet of homemade paper was the only sound that could be heard in the room Duo now called home. He gave a mental snort at his 'pen', as he tried to dip the oversized feather tip in a small bottle of ink without tipping the bottle or dripping blots of ink all over his desk. The desktop was stained with a nine-inch blob of dried ink since Duo had already dumped over three bottles of ink and he'd only started learning the Valdemar's written language a week ago. Pen, indeed. What he wouldn't give for a nice ballpoint or a mechanical pencil. He stuck his tongue out at the offending feather before dipping it very gently and tapping the tip on the side of the bottle.

He resumed the left side of the chart he was working on. "Observations" was the title at the top of the column. The entire paper was written in plain Standard. His instincts initially tried to force him to encrypt the thing, until he convinced himself that **he** was the only person capable of reading it and it wasn't like it was all that important anyway. It was more a means of keeping the facts fresh and the evidence at hand. He scribbled down the corresponding observations to the evidence in column one, set down his pen and gave a full body stretch.

A glance at his watch revealed that he had twenty minutes until he was due in the Salle for his weapons practice. He just couldn't get used to waiting for the bells to tell him what time it was. He was used to being precise, down to the last second. Valdemar's time system was surprisingly similar to his own, with 24 Candlemarks to a day, but their system only divided one candlemark into quarters. He couldn't live on a fifteen minute system, even if they did ring a bell every hour. He needed more than that so he kept his watch close and prayed the lifetime battery wouldn't decide to take a nosedive into death before he managed to find his way home.

He gave another snort, this one physical, as he got up, changed into a scruffier looking uniform and headed out the door. Duo Maxwell, feared pilot of Deathscythe, was stuck in the beginner's weapons class. Okay, to be perfectly fair, he was stuck in beginner's Archery. Armsmaster Tehlin had given him a "passable" grade in hand to hand and knife work and bumped him up to work with the advanced students. "Passable" though? Really? Even G hadn't thought there was anything more that Duo could be taught to do with small edged weapons. Tehlin had told him he was sloppy, needed to learn more control and needed to learn that the knives were an extension of his hands. Duo had always thought of knives as being an extension of his hands, his feet and his teeth if necessary. Clearly he had hidden just a bit too much of his true skill when the Armsmaster had first tested him. Either that or Duo was overestimating his own skills and he really **did** need the instruction. Nah, couldn't be. The worst part about the whole situation was that when he asked about it, Tehlin had immediately deemed him too old to start learning the sword. A real pity as he had plans to surprise a certain Chinese Gundam pilot with his kick-ass sword skills once he got home.

The summer afternoon was not happy and not bright with cloud cover low enough that it was nearly touching the ground and Duo could identify the scent he had been told was the smell of rain. It was probably just the almost-fog. It all smelled the same to him, wet and a bit musty. It did give him the inspiration to pick up his step and try to make it to the Salle before the clouds decided to release their load. Further inspiration was delivered in the distant groan of thunder. Rain and lightning. Just perfect.

Fortunately, he slipped inside just after the first few drops started to fall. He was greeted immediately by the Armsmaster himself. "Perfect, young Duo. You're early." Duo nodded at the teacher, glanced quickly at his watch and then snapped to attention. He was only 6 minutes early. How the hell did these people do it?

"Sir," he responded. "What can I do for you, sir?"

Tehlin smirked at the reply but didn't bother to try to tell the boy, again, that he didn't need to act as if he were in the army. He simply got on with what he wanted to ask. "Do you feel comfortable enough with what you've been taught to try working with a first year in hand to hand? Using **our** techniques, young man, just the straight beginner's class stuff, mind you." His addition to the conditions was not necessary as Duo knew perfectly well that someone just learning would not be able to perform most of the moves that had become second-nature to him.

"Not a problem, sir." Duo smirked. "Who will I be teaching?"

Tehlin gave a smirk of his own. "Try not to scare the crap out of him, this time," he said as he turned to bellow, "Alaen! Your sparring partner's here!"

Duo's good humor balked as the trainee-in-question turned to inspect his new teacher. The curiosity in Alaen's eyes first turned to shock and then quickly to the fear he had displayed the first time Duo had the fortune to make eye contact with the boy. Duo opened his mouth to protest to the Armsmaster that there was no way he could work properly with someone who was terrified of him, but Alaen beat him to a comment.

"Thank you for taking the time to teach me." The words came out shivery and there wasn't much disguising the horror that still lingered in the back of his mind, but it looked like the boy was willing to try to accept Duo.

And that was more than good enough. Duo gave his new student a genuine smile. "Glad to be of use. Just promise me you will keep Jayte from trying to stomp on me again if he does not like the way the lesson goes."

Alaen tried a small grin of his own and nodded. "Agreed," he managed with a bit of humor.

-End- 


End file.
